About
The character 柞 is a phono-semantic compound. Its left-side radical 木 (mù, wood or tree) provides the semantic category, placing it within botany and forestry. The right-side component 乍 (zhà, suddenly or newly) contributes the pronunciation, which varies with meaning. Pronounced zuò, it primarily refers to oak trees, especially the sawtooth oak whose leaves feed wild silkworms. Pronounced zhà, it takes on a classical meaning of clearing land by felling trees and brushwood.
Etymology Hide
